Share

Citigroup profits beat forecasts

CITIGROUP's quarterly profit beat Wall Street estimates as the third-largest US bank cut expenses and benefited from an improved economy and more active capital markets after a dismal end to 2011.

Profit was also boosted by loan growth in the lender’s core Citicorp division, strong fixed income performance, and continued improvement in credit quality that allowed Citigroup to release reserves set aside for bad loans.

Shares of the New York-based lender, which received multiple bailouts during the financial crisis, were up $1.07, or 3.2%, at $34.48 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

“They continue to progress. They have headwinds that maybe only Bank of America has, but they seem to be managing those headwinds,” said Gary Townsend, CEO of Hill-Townsend Capital.

“It’s a good quarter without being as superlative as JPMorgan’s was.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co beat Wall Street’s expectations on Friday, helped by some of the same macro trends - a better economy and more active capital markets.

The results confirm investor expectations of a recovery after the European debt crisis roiled markets late last year, and they augur well for other major US banks such as Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, all due to report results this week.

But the KBW index of bank stocks is already up more than 19% this year, and investors are now turning their attention to determining the strength and extent of the recovery which still lags the optimism of early last year.

Citigroup chief financial officer John Gerspach said demand for loans remains soft in the United States and Europe but continues strong in emerging markets.

Loan growth was particularly strong for trade finance, he added in a conference call with reporters.

Chief executive Vikram Pandit said in a statement: “While the operating environment improved in the first quarter, there is still much macro uncertainty and we will continue to manage risk carefully.”

Net income falls


Citigroup’s first-quarter net income fell 2% to $2.93bn, or 95 cents a share, from $2.99bn, or 99c/share, a year earlier.

Revenue from the company’s ongoing securities trading and investment banking business declined 12% from the strong quarter a year earlier but rose 65% from the weak 2011 fourth quarter.

Citigroup said earnings per share, excluding the impact of certain accounting adjustments for changes in the value debts and credits, were $1.11.

Wall Street analysts, who usually exclude such accounting items, had expected on average $1/share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Expenses were down 7% from the fourth quarter and were flat with a year earlier, reflecting seasonal factors and the company’s commitment to bring costs down for the year, Gerspach said in the conference call.

A set of assets that the company has been selling off or running down since the financial crisis declined 29% from a year earlier to $209bn, or 11% of total Citigroup assets.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.08
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.59
-0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
+0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.7%
Platinum
902.95
+0.1%
Palladium
998.75
-0.7%
Gold
2,152.67
-0.4%
Silver
24.90
-0.6%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,873
-0.6%
All Share
72,094
-0.5%
Resource 10
53,208
-0.2%
Industrial 25
99,450
-1.0%
Financial 15
16,627
+0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders